Kick-Ass 2 Review: Kick-Ass 2 brings a whole bunch of new colourful lunatics to the cast, with the standouts being Jim Carrey’s erratic Colonel Stars and Stripes, and Mother Russia, played with ruthless authority by Ukrainian actress Olga Kurkulina. The cavalcade of new “good” superheroes in the newly found superhero team “Justice Forever” get fairly little screen time, but manage to feel like actual characters instead of mere cutouts. The acting is spot-on. As a direct continuation from the first, the viewer should feel right at home with the familiar characters. The story feels exactly like a sequel should, changed characters facing new conflicts with higher stakes and new faces to join in. Hit-Girl is this time facing difficulties trying to adapt into the real world with her high school life, while Kick-Ass himself finds new faces to fight crime with.

All the while Chistopher Mintz-Plasse’s “world’s first supervillain” goes through a frightfully convincing descent into madness and villainy and starts to wreck things up. The action hasn’t been softened at all from the first film. It’s visceral, brutal, and immensely gratifying. If anything, Kick-Ass 2 far surpasses the level and amount of violence of the first, so much so that at times the viewer might be wondering “Is it okay I’m having so much fun with this?” Special mention must be paid to the sound effects team, because the various crunches and cracks really drive the physicality home. The final fight scene is truly spectacular, and Kick-Ass 2 is worth paying full ticket price for it alone.

The tone of the film should be addressed. It sways wildly between comedic, brutal, somber, parodic and downright cruel, but it never feels inconsistent, the tone feels appropriate for each scene. If you liked Kick-Ass, you’re definitely going to like Kick-Ass 2. It’s not the new Citizen Kane, but if you’re up for a good, bloody, violent time, Kick-Ass 2 delivers in spades.